How to Grow Bottle Gourd Seeds, a Climbing Vine? Meaning and Benefits Explained

Bottle gourd is a climbing vine, an annual climbing herb. In ancient times people would dry the gourds in the sun, hollow them out, and use them as containers for holding things. Bottle gourds like warm, sheltered environments, and growing them requires plenty of space. So do you know what the methods for growing bottle gourd seeds are? What meaning do they carry? What benefits and effects do they have?

I. Methods for Growing Bottle Gourd Seeds

1. Seed Cultivation

As the saying goes, plant melons and beans around Guyu (Grain Rain). So the best sowing time for bottle gourds is also around Guyu, but the climate may differ from place to place; in regions with higher temperatures, the sowing time can be moved up accordingly. Before sowing, we should carefully select bottle gourd seeds. Generally, the first choice is seeds that are relatively plump and have not become moldy. Then we place the selected seeds in a glass container, pour in an appropriate amount of warm water to soak them, and after about twelve hours, pour the water out and cover them with gauze, put them in a sunny place, and wait for the seeds to sprout. This sprouting process may take a relatively long time, so we can also put the soaked seeds into a plastic bag and then carry it in a jacket pocket, using body temperature to speed up sprouting. This method can make them sprout relatively faster and is also the safest method.

2. Planting Precautions

Bottle gourds have particularly strong adaptability and can be grown in both the north and the south. Since bottle gourd growth requires a large amount of water, we should try to choose plots with good drainage. Fertile soil and well-drained soil can increase bottle gourd yields. In particular, note that bottle gourds cannot be planted repeatedly with melon-family plants such as watermelon, as this will greatly reduce the yield. Bottle gourd is also a light-loving plant, and its optimal growing temperature is about 30°C, so whether in pots or in the ground, we must ensure the bottle gourd gets plenty of sunlight. Perhaps in the hot summer, the midday sun is quite scorching; we only need to keep the bottle gourd leaves from drying out and scorching, and at the same time this can very well make the bottle gourd seedlings grow stronger.

3. Pest and Disease Control

Bottle gourd is also a cross-pollinated plant. If pollination occurs during the flowering period, the bottle gourd can set fruit well. But for potted bottle gourds, their number is relatively small, so we need to pollinate them by hand. Usually bottle gourds only bloom in the evening, and each morning is the best pollination period. If we encounter rainy days, we should protect the bottle gourd flowers in advance with plastic bags to ensure the flowers are not rained on. During the growth period, we also need to control insect pests. Especially in the moldy rainy season, bottle gourds are most susceptible to disease. We should pay special attention to the ventilation of the bottle gourds and fertilize them. If we find diseased plants or diseased leaves, we must cut them off immediately to prevent them from infecting more bottle gourds.

II. What Meaning Do Bottle Gourds Carry?

1. Auspiciousness

In various customs, the bottle gourd is regarded as an auspicious object, symbolizing good fortune. For example, in ancient times, at wedding ceremonies the bottle gourd would be split into two halves, which were then used to drink the nuptial cup of wine. In ethnic culture, the bottle gourd can have a symbol of the two sexes, and the bottle gourd that joins two into one symbolizes happiness. In the symbolism of China's ethnic minorities, the bottle gourd also has this cultural symbolism. In many ethnic minority cultures, we can see totems modeled on the bottle gourd; this is an ethnic culture passed down for a thousand years.

2. Fortune and Emolument

The bottle gourd has homophones, "fu" and "lu" (fortune and emolument), which represent beautiful meanings. Therefore, in our country there is the custom of carving jade into the shape of a bottle gourd; wearing it on one's person can bring good fortune and help one gain official rank and wealth. The bottle gourd also has a saying of the "five blessings," carrying people's good wishes. Among China's ethnic minorities, there are many musical instruments made in imitation of the bottle gourd; for example, the hulusi is a very elegant auspicious instrument.

3. Many Sons and Grandsons

Bottle gourds grow very luxuriantly, and a single vine will bear a great many gourds, so they also carry the meaning of a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons, and of many sons bringing much blessing. At the same time, the bottle gourd vine is a trailing kind, and "man" (vine) and "wan" (ten thousand) have a homophonic effect, and "man dai" (vine belt) and "wan dai" (ten thousand generations) have a homophonic effect. From this, the bottle gourd also carries a layer of meaning of prosperity: flourishing generation after generation, prosperous age after age.

4. Religion

Daoism is China's most traditional religion. In Daoism, the bottle gourd has a special status and is often regarded as a Daoist spiritual treasure, serving as a treasure for guarding the chamber. In ancient language, the bottle gourd is interchangeable with the traditional character "yi" (one). Daoism emphasizes that the Dao gives birth to the one, and the one gives birth to the two, so the meaning of the bottle gourd in Daoism is different.

III. What Benefits and Effects Does the Bottle Gourd Have?

Besides being able to be eaten directly as a vegetable to supplement the human body's nutrition, the bottle gourd also has a dietary therapy effect; long-term consumption can have a clear auxiliary dietary therapy effect. The bottle gourd is cold in nature and sweet in taste, entering the lung, stomach, and kidney meridians. It has the effects of clearing heat and promoting urination, relieving restlessness and quenching thirst, moistening the lungs and stopping cough, and reducing swelling and dispersing nodules. It mainly treats edema and ascites, dysphoric heat, thirst, jaundice, and so on.

1. Improve Body Immunity

The bottle gourd contains rich nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and trace elements. After the human body consumes it, it can play a very good role in improving body immunity.

2. Protect the Eyes

The carotene content in the bottle gourd is also relatively high. Eating bottle gourd regularly can effectively protect the eyes and prevent lesions of the retina.

3. Lower Blood Sugar

Certain enzyme inhibitors in the bottle gourd can play a role in lowering blood sugar, so people with diabetes can eat it with confidence.